You may remember a girl named Jane.  I wrote about her in a post a long time ago.  My encounter with Jane is what opened my eyes (and my heart) to see that Young Life and my life could go hand-in-hand.  Well, her story has taken some twists and turns that continue to challenge my heart.  She began dating a new boy in town back in July and things progressed rapidly in their relationship.  It was like a tidal wave that everyone could see coming but no one could stop.  When she shared with me that she was pregnant, it was not a shock but it did feel like a sting.  A thousand questions arise in my mind and a million thoughts.  What did I do wrong?  What is she going to do?  Why didn`t I stop this from happening?  Is the father of the child going to stay around?  How is she feeling?  How should I react?  What did her family say?  What should I say?  She`s so young.  He´s so young.  I saw this coming, why didn´t I do more?  As I silently prayed for wisdom and for the right words to speak, I saw her sitting next to me, avoiding eye contact and as she asked me, ¨What do you think?¨, I heard the unspoken question of ºWill you still love me, now?¨  As someone who usually sees things as black or white, with little room for gray, I struggled to find a way to walk in both the truth and in love.  In the end, I shared with her that I´m her friend and nothing changes that.  While having a child will undeniably change her life and add an extreme amount of responsibility that a teenager shouldn`t have, it doesn´t mean I stop loving her. 
      The months have passed and as her belly continues to expand, I`ve seen her emotions rise and fall.  I´ve seen the disapproving eyes of the community not only for her, but also for Young Life as people assume this is somehow the ministry`s fault.  It has been a lesson for me in realizing that God has given us free will and we can share our testimony and speak truth but in the end, each person must choose for themselves whom they will serve.  His command to us is clear:

¨I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning.  I ask that we love one another.¨ 

2 John 1:5

One writer said, ¨The true revelation of this text is that we can only love others to the extend that we´re obeying God.  When I couldn`t figure out how to love certain people in my life, I could usually point to a truth I was neglecting.  Ask the Lord to give you the capacity to love, to have immeasurable compassion, sweet affection, and a deep well of grace.¨
     Last month we had a baby shower for Jane.  Attended by other young girls in YL who wanted to bless Jane as she approached the birth of her daughter.  Some may say, by celebrating her pregnancy we are condoning teenage pregnancy.  Say what you will, but as I watched Jane open gifts and heard the sincerity in her voice as she said thank you, I know she felt loved. And now, maybe more than ever, she needs to know that she is loved.